Body Building Fundamentals

 

Body Building Fundamentals

 

Identify Your "Why" to Build Inner Motivation

One of the most important questions you should ask yourself when you're beginning your body-building journey is: Why? This question is so crucial, yet many people fail to ask it.

If you have a clear, concise and well-grounded answer to this question, you'll be able to stick with your exercise routine through good times and bad. You'll put in the time to study the theory, you'll put in the time at the gym and you'll have the motivation to put in an extra rep even when your muscles already hurt. It'll make all the difference.

On the other hand, if you don't know your "why," chances are you'll start your workout routine, stick with it for a few days or weeks and then fall off the bandwagon when the going gets tough. After all, building a great body takes effort. You need to have the motivation to make it happen.

==> Identifying Your Why

Start with looking at your fitness goals. Different kinds of fitness goals tend to have different motivations.

Are you just trying to lose some weight? If so, what's the most important thing you think you'd gain by losing that weight? Is it better health, more energy and a likely longer lifespan? Is it more social acceptance? Or more attention from the opposite sex?

If you're skinny and want to bulk up a bit, again - ask yourself why. Why is having muscle mass better than having a skinny body? How will your life be different if you had more muscle mass?

Look at your goals and ask yourself: Why do I want my body to look this way? Often times finding your "why" is a matter of looking inward rather than outward.

==> Write Down Your "Why"

As the saying goes, "where there's a will, there's a way." To keep your "why" alive, write it down on paper and keep it somewhere visible.

On days when you just don't feel like getting up to go to the gym, that piece of paper can give you the push you need to get off the coach and into the gym.

Writing out your "why" also serves another function. Often times when trying to figure out your why, you'll have a sense for it but not be able to put it into one concise sentence. Writing it out will help you form your why into a more concrete form.

To sum it up, finding your why is one of the most important aspects of being able to successfully keep up an exercise routine. If you have a strong enough reason for wanting to change your body, you can. Just make sure to keep reminding yourself of that reason, especially when times get tough.

 

Four Common Muscle-Building Myths

Bodybuilding is a field that's often flooded with a lot of conflicting advice. While conflicting advice can sometimes have two right answers, very often the advice that's given is just plain wrong. In this article, we'll expose four of the most common muscle-building myths.

==> Myth #1 - Eat More If You Want to Build Muscle

One common myth is that if you're skinny and want to gain muscle, you need to consume a lot of calories. Unfortunately, this is more likely to get you fat than get you built.

Yes, if you want to gain muscle mass you do need to eat a few more calories than you're burning. But you don't need to consume 2,000 more calories than you've been eating in the past.

Eat more food, but don't stuff your body with calories. It's not healthy and won't help get you where you want to go.

==> Myth #2 - You Should Tense Your Abs When Lifting Weights

Another common myth is that tensing up your abs when you're lifting weights will help give your spine more support, thereby reducing the likelihood of injury.

This myth stemmed from a research study that was conducted, showing that people who had back pain tended to have lax abdominal muscles. They concluded that by tensing up the ab muscles, back support was increased which reduced back pain.

This story spread among the bodybuilding community and has come to be accepted as fact today. Unfortunately, it's just plain wrong.

In reality, your body naturally knows what to do when it's lifting heavy objects. Yes, you do need to tense up your abs - but your body does that automatically already. If you tense up your abs even more manually, you can throw off the whole system and actually increase your chances of injury.

==> Myth #3 - The Trick Is to Eat a Lot of Protein

Yes, eating a lot of protein is crucial. However, just increasing the amount of protein you eat isn't going to cut it.

In order to really make a difference in your muscles, you need to have the right kinds of proteins. You also need to have the right combination of proteins; and you need to eat other foods that support that protein intake.

Yes, increasing proteins is important - but it's not the magic pill.

==> Myth #4 - The Path to Losing Fat is Not Eating Fat

Finally, a lot of people who decide to start building muscles decide that they need to cut all fats out of their diet. Unfortunately, this is actually harmful rather than helpful.

Your body needs fats in order to operate properly. Yes, you should definitely get rid of trans fats and oily foods, but it's important to keep consuming healthy fats so your body has the resources it needs to work properly.

You can actually lose more fat by eating enough of the right kinds of fat than if you tried to cut out all fats from your diet.

These are four of the most common myths in bodybuilding today.

What It Takes to Develop Six Pack Abs

Six pack abs is one of the most common goals of people who get into body building. Yet it can seem very elusive for most people, as they can work out for weeks and months without seeming to make any progress.

That's because most people go about building six pack abs wrongly. It's not just about doing a lot of push-ups and sit-ups. Yes, ab exercises are important, but on their own they're not going to get you there.

Here's how to actually get six pack abs.

==> Selective Working Out Doesn't Work

Trying to just work out one area of your body to develop that part's muscles doesn't work. In other words, exclusively doing abdominal exercises won't get you six packs.

Why? Because your abs have fat covering them. Even if under all the fat you have ripped abs, people won't be able to see them. Unfortunately, when you're just doing push-ups and sit-ups that's what you're doing: toning your muscle under the fat, without eliminating the fat.

The first step to actually getting six pack abs is to reduce the amount of fat in your abs. Unfortunately, you can't selectively lose fat. You have to lose fat throughout your entire body for this to work.

==> Removing the Fat

Fat burning essentially comes down to doing cardio exercise regularly. Try to exercise at between 70% to 80% of your maximum heart rate for 30 minutes or more three or four times a week.

If you do this, in about a month you'll start to notice your body overall becoming more toned. If you measure your body fat percentage, you'll find the amount of fat in your body lowering and the amount of muscle increasing.

As this happens, your abs will naturally become more and more visible.

==> Diet

Of course, in order to burn that fat you'll also need to make changes to your diet. You can't just burn fat and then take the fat back into your body.

Eliminate all extraneous fats from your diet. A bit of fat from protein foods or other "healthy fats" is okay, but stay away from anything that's unnaturally fat.

That means no deep fried foods, no fast foods, no meals that are frozen or microwavable. Read the calorie contents and ingredients of packaged foods before you buy.

==> Building Stronger Abs

The last and final step is to do the exercises that strengthen your abs. You can start the phase at the same time as when you start cardio and start changing your diet, but you'll only see the results from the ab workouts once you do the rest of the steps discussed in this article.

There you have it. To build abs, you need to burn off the fat throughout your entire body so there's minimal fat covering your abs. Then you need to change your diet to keep that fat off. Finally, use abdominal exercises to tone up your ab area.

 

The Best Foods for Building Muscle

Apart from your workout, what you eat is the most important aspect of building muscle. If you're giving your body the nutrients it needs, you'll lose fat and build muscle much faster.

On the other hand, if your body doesn't get what it needs, it won't be able to build the muscles you want. A lot of workout effort can be wasted if it's not backed up by a proper diet.

Here are some of the best foods for building muscles.

==> Whole Eggs

Whole eggs contain proteins that are easier for your body to process than any other kind of protein. That includes beef, chicken and milk.

In addition, whole eggs contain a whole host of other vitamins and nutrients, including Vitamins D and B12, zinc and iron.

Don't worry about eating cholesterol in the egg yolk. Research study after research study has proven that cholesterol in food has little effect on the cholesterol in blood vessels.

==> Whole Wheat Pasta

It's unhealthy to cut out all carbohydrates from your diet. In order for your body to have the energy to work out and to build muscles, it needs to have healthy glucose that it can turn into useable energy.

Protein provides the body with the building blocks, while healthy carbohydrates give the body the energy to build those blocks.

Avoid carbohydrates based in white wheat. They burn too fast and cause energy spikes and crashes. Instead, opt for whole wheat carbohydrates like whole wheat pasta. Get organic if you can.

==> Fresh Salmon

Salmon contains a very high concentration of much-needed omega-3 fatty acids. This helps brain functioning and concentration while also facilitating muscle growth.

The omega-3 fatty acids in salmon will speed up muscle growth after a workout, which translates to more muscles being built faster.

==> Almonds and Other Nuts

Raw almonds and other nuts contain a lot of proteins that can help build muscle. They're easy to carry around as a snack and are actually healthy, unlike many other snacks.

Nuts contain Vitamin E, potassium, zinc, magnesium and many other essential minerals and vitamins. They also contain digestion-helping fibers.

When buying nuts, avoid anything that's deep fried in oils or covered in salt. If possible, try to buy plain raw nuts with minimal processing.

==> Eat Beef

Beef is perhaps the best kind of meat for muscle builders to eat.

It contains high amounts of creatine, which gives your body a huge boost of energy for working out. Anyone who's taken a creatine supplement can attest to creatine's explosive energy.

By eating beef regularly, you'll be providing your body with this much-needed source of energy.

These are some of the best foods for muscle building. By providing your body with all the nutrients, proteins, vitamins and minerals it needs, you'll build muscles at a much faster pace.

Why Calories Aren't a Good Metric

When it comes to losing weight or building muscles, the amount of calories you eat is one of the most common metrics you'll find talked about. Unfortunately, this simply is not a good metric for tracking and improving performance.

A calorie is just a unit of measurement for energy. One single calorie is equivalent to the amount of energy you would need in heat to raise the temperature of one gram of water one single degree Celsius.

That energy is then converted into food and measured to see how much energy you're taking into your body.

However, this kind of measurements doesn't take into account many of the crucial factors that actually determine how much weight you gain or lose.

==> It's Not What You Eat, It's What's in Your Body

One often overlooked aspect of calorie counting is the measurement of how many of the calories you eat actually end up in your blood stream.

Two people could eat the same meal and have completely different amounts of fats, vitamins, minerals and toxins absorbed by the body.

One person may take in a lot of the fat and gain weight as a result, while another person could eat the same meal and have the fats pass right through his body.

In this case, what matters really isn't how many calories you're eating, but how many calories are absorbed.

==> It Leaves Out the Quality of the Food

Of course, measuring calories completely leaves out the measurement of the food quality.

Is a calorie of ice cream the same as a calorie from organic lean meat chicken? Just a few decades ago, health experts would have said "yes." Today however, the answer is a resounding "no."

Where your calories come from play a much larger role in determining whether you gain weight or lose weight than most people imagine.

==> Other Metrics

There are many other metrics you can use to track your progress.

One of the best metrics is your body fat percentage. If your body fat percentage is going up, then there's probably something your dietary habits that you need to change. If it's going down, you're probably doing something right.

Keep a food journal and write down everything you eat. Then compare what you ate to the fluctuations in your body fat percentage. This information can help you identify which kinds of meals result in better results for your body.

This is a much more effective approach than measuring raw calories, which have a different effect on different people.

Another metric you can use is BMI. While the BMI equation isn't perfect, for the majority of people it can provide a very good indicator of overall muscle health.

In short, calories really have limited use for someone who's looking to build muscle or lose weight. It simply leaves too much information out to be useful. Instead, try using other metrics that actually give you data that can help you follow the correct course.

 

Three Diet Tips for Serious Muscle Builders

Serious muscle builders treat their diet in an almost scientific, equation-like manner. What is the scientifically proven, most effective way to build more muscles?

It takes a lot of discipline to follow the rigid guidelines for developing your body in the absolute fastest manner. But if you're really serious, that's what it'll take to get results the fastest.

Here are three dietary tips for serious muscle builders.

==> 40% Carbohydrates, 20% Fats, 40% Proteins

The 40:20:40 rule has been tested again and again to be the optimal balance of nutrients for losing fat and gaining muscle.

Keep in mind that many foods contain both fats and proteins in them without explicitly being a fatty or protein food. For example, when you're buying your meats, make sure to read the labels and see what percentage of the meat is actually fat and what percentage is protein.

Also avoid eating carbohydrates close to bedtime.

In the beginning, you'll likely have to record all the foods you eat in order to get a good sense for how much fat, carbs and proteins you're taking in. After you get more experience, you'll be able to estimate your intake with a high degree of accuracy.

==> Eat in 2.5 Hour Intervals

Don't binge. Don't eat big meals. Big meals cause your body to spike up in blood sugar levels and then crash. It also causes food build-up in the digestive system, which is detrimental to muscle growth.

To maintain a steady energy level and to facilitate the fastest growth possible, aim to eat smaller meals every two and a half hours.

That'll come out to six small meals a day instead of three large meals. If you need snacks in between meals, go for something healthy like mixed nuts.

==> Cycle Your Caloric Intake

To keep your body from adapting to a certain caloric intake level, regularly cycle your caloric intake.

Consider alternating low calorie days with high calorie days. If you're trying to gain weight and muscle mass, you can put in more high calorie days, while doing the opposite if you're trying to drop weight.

This process doesn't necessarily have to be rigid or planned, but you should still keep track of your calories and consciously decide the night before whether you're going to have a high or low calorie day tomorrow. Track your high and low calorie days so you can make sure you're getting a good balance.

These are three diet tips geared specifically towards serious muscle builders. If muscle building is just a hobby, these tips might not be for you. On the other hand, if you're really dedicated to building the body of your dreams, these tips can help take you to the next level.

 

The Truth about Muscle-Building Supplements

Open any fitness magazine and you'll fine ad after ad promoting supplements, diet pills and protein shakes. With every product proclaiming itself to be the one thing you need to put on the muscle you've always wanted, how do you actually decide what kind of supplement to take or not to take?

In this article, we'll take a good hard objective look at supplements in the health industry. We'll look at who should and who shouldn't take supplements, as well as what kinds of supplements you should take if you do choose to supplement.

==> The Magic Pill Mentality

One of the biggest drivers of the supplement industry is the magic pill mentality.

Customers who aren't willing to put in the work to actually lose weight and gain muscle instead turn to supplements and diet pills. They read the advertisements, get excited and make a purchase.

More often than not this mentality won't produce actual results. The customer then either gets disillusioned and quits, or they go back to buy a different supplement pill.

If you want to build muscles, this method just won't work.

==> Supplements Can Only Support Strong Fundamentals

Your supplements can only support your exercise routine if you already have strong fundamentals.

If you're eating right, drinking enough water, doing the right workouts, working out consistently, alternating muscle groups and doing all the other things you need to do, then supplements can help give you that 20% edge to take you to the next level.

But if you don't have the fundamentals down, supplements just won't help. Supplements can't be, have never been and never will be a magic pill that can replace working out.

==> More Is Not Always Better

Many supplements are based on the premise that more is better. In reality, more protein or more vitamins may not be what your body needs at all.

If you structure your diet right, you can get the vast majority of all the nutrients you need right in the food you eat.

Artificially adding more protein or vitamins through supplements can often be ineffective, expensive and potentially even harmful if your body doesn't actually need it.

==> Who Should Use Supplements?

Who should actually use supplements, then?

Supplements can be used if there are nutrients in your diet that you aren't getting enough of. Only use supplements if you already have your fundamentals in order and want to get an extra boost to reach your goals faster.

If you already have all your nutritional needs handled, you might also want to consider an energy-boosting supplement like creatine. Unlike other supplements that focus on nutrition, these supplements actually make it so you can push harder during your workouts.

In general, muscle builders would be better off ignoring the majority of supplement advertising and focusing on building a solid workout routine. That said, if you have the fundamentals handled, supplements can give you a nice progress boost.

 

Your First Three Months at the Gym

Your first three months at the gym can be a whirlwind of experiences. You'll have to get to know a lot of different equipment, meet a lot of different people with different approaches to body building and have to get to know a completely different environment, while consistently working out in a way that'll actually produce results.

Here are a few tips for your first three months at the gym.

==> Take Advantage of the Free or Discounted Personal Trainer Offers

Most gyms will offer you a free or discounted personal trainer session as part of your gym membership. Take advantage of this offer.

Usually the trainer will start by giving you a guided tour of all the different equipment in the gym. This alone is worth the time it'll take. This tour will allow you to get the most out of your gym experience.

Then your personal trainer will ask what your goals are and discuss different workout options and dietary tips to help get you there.

Yes, they'll probably try to sell you a training package at the end of the hour. If you don't want to sign up, just let them know - don't worry, they won't be offended. They get that every day.

==> Try to Find the Most Fun Thing in the Gym

If going to the gym feels like a chore to you, chances are you won't keep up the habit in the long run.

Instead of forcing yourself to do exercises you don't like or to use unfamiliar equipment, try to find the thing that you enjoy the most in the gym.

For example, if they have a swimming pool, why not go for a swim and see if you like it? If they have kickboxing classes, hot yoga classes or group cycling classes, why not give those a shot?

Once you've found something you enjoy and you've gotten in the habit of going to the gym regularly, then you might consider doing something a little more challenging. But in the beginning, focus on finding something that you really enjoy.

==> Find a Buddy

Talk to the other people in the lockers, in the cafeteria or after group classes. Make friends who are also passionate about fitness.

Having friends to compare notes with, to learn from and to share experiences can really help keep you motivated. And it's more fun. You'll also have a spotter for exercises like the bench press.

The most challenging part of developing a new gym habit is sticking with it for the first thirty days. Once you get in the habit of going to the gym, you can then spend your time and energy on building the perfect workout. In the beginning, though, just work on building the habit of going to the gym regularly.

 

Compound Exercises: The Fundamentals of Good Muscle Building

When it comes to muscle building, all exercises can be separated into two different camps. On one side are the compound exercises, on the other side are the isolation exercises. They each have very different functions.

As the name might suggest, compound exercises are workouts that exercise multiple muscle groups at the same time. Isolation exercises are exercises that target a specific muscle group.

If you're trying to build muscle, using compound exercises is a much better way to go about it. Both for building overall tone and putting on muscle, compound exercises will get you there faster.

Compound exercises work out your muscles, your tendons, your joints and your ligaments. It puts the most strain on the area of your body that's the weakest, strengthening the overall system. It's the "broad strokes" of building overall muscle quickly.

==> Is There a Time When Isolation Exercises Are Better?

Yes, there is. Isolation exercises are great for targeting and improving a specific muscle group that's out of balance.

If your right tricep is larger than your left for example, you might want to do some isolation exercises targeting just your left tricep.

Compound exercises are the fastest way to build muscle mass in your body in general. However, compound exercises aren't great for laser-targeting specific parts of the body to develop.

Isolation exercises also have an additional benefit of being able to put on short-term mass quickly. Professional bodybuilders will often do isolation exercises before a major competition to add an inch or so of muscle. This muscle doesn't last, however, and will disappear if you stop working out.

To build muscles that really last, start with compound exercises, then refine your body with isolation exercises if imbalances come up.

==> A Few Popular Compound Exercises

What are some of the most popular and proven compound exercises in bodybuilding?

Perhaps the most popular is the bench press. The bench press works out many of the muscles in your upper body, including the many muscles in your arms and your back.

Squats are another popular compound exercise. Everything from your calves to your thighs to your buttocks is worked out by squats.

Deadlifts are another popular compound exercise. Deadlifts will work out your abs, your leg muscles, your back muscles, your hips and your forearms.

Of course there are many other compound exercises you can choose from depending on your fitness goals. Pick the exercises you use based on the kind of body you want to develop.

In summary, compound exercises are the main building block to a solid workout routine. While isolation exercises are definitely important for sculpting the body and perfecting muscle balance, the actual work of building muscle should be done primarily with compound exercises.

How Rest Periods Affect Muscle Growth

One of the most important yet most hotly debated and misunderstood aspects of a good workout routine are rest periods. Rest periods are crucial for muscle growth. How do rest periods affect muscle growth and what's the optimal rest period? Let's explore these questions.

==> Why Rest Periods Are Crucial

There are a few reasons why rest periods are crucial.

First of all, when you exert your muscles you're building up lactic acid and hydrogen ions. In small doses, these substances don't harm your body at all. However, during a workout these substances can really build up to substantial amounts.

These substances will prevent your muscles from exerting themselves fully and cause more fatigue. In other words, it can cause you to tire yourself out without actually making any progress towards your goals.

Even worse, however, is that lactic acid and hydrogen ions can prevent the proper delivery of proteins to your muscles. In other words, your muscles won't be getting the necessary building blocks they need to build stronger muscles.

The other reason rest periods are crucial is because of the way muscle building works. You're basically causing tiny micro injuries in your tissues when you work out. Then when you rest, the body repairs the muscles and makes them stronger than before.

If you don't have proper rest periods, you'll just continually injure your body without actually gaining muscle. That can be very unhealthy.

==> What's the Proper Rest Period?

The proper rest period is about 48 hours for each muscle group. That said, it's really rare that someone can actually work out one muscle group three times in a week. More realistically, your rest period is probably going to be more like two to four days per muscle group.

Resting your muscle groups doesn't mean not working out. It basically means you alternate working out different parts of your body. For example, you might work out your upper body today, then work out your lower body two days from now, then work out your upper body again a couple days after that.

Also try not to workout three days in a row. Working out a couple days in a row is fine, but keep in mind that even if you're switching up the muscle groups it still takes your body a lot of energy to repair tissue every single day.

If you're continually working out without rest, even if they're different muscle groups, the micro tissue injuries and the lactic acid will build up.

Rest periods are a critical element of strong muscle growth. Make sure you're getting enough rest by spacing out your workouts and alternating the muscle groups you're training. Sometimes the best thing for your muscles and your workout routine is a nice break.